Prompt: People from all over the world come to the Cleveland
Clinic for care and the Clinic is rated the best hospital in the US, yet not
everyone in Cuyahoga County (or Ohio) is healthy, explain.
Cleveland
Clinic has been worldly renowned for their top notch expertise on their care
and success with treating patients. Many people from around the world come to
the Cleveland Clinic because, its true; they are one of the best in the world. It’s
confusing though, Ohio has one of the best health clinics in the world yet
there are still people who are unhealthy. How could this be that the care they
need is right in their backyard, yet they are still unhealthy? There are many factors that play into the
explanation. One is the type of insurance the person has, second is the
financial status of the individual, and third is the willingness to dish out
more money for a better product.
Yes,
the care they need is right in their backyard but that doesn’t mean that their insurance
will cover the care and costs for procedures they need at the Cleveland Clinic.
If you’re one of the best in the world, wouldn’t you charge more for your
product? The costs at the Cleveland Clinic for certain procedures or care will
be much higher than less renowned organizations because of quality. This is
because their care is simply better. People get what they pay for. If you go
out and buy a $100 grill compared to buying a $1,000 grill, which would you
expect to be better? Of course the $1,000 grill. It’s the same with healthcare.
Healthcare is a competitive business. Helms states that “modern drugs and new
medical knowledge increases the demand for medical care.” Due to this demand,
top notch clinics like the Cleveland Clinic emerge. It was also stated that
universal healthcare “encouraged more expenditure with little regard to the
cost effectiveness or value of the services”. If universal healthcare was taken
into effect, there wouldn’t be clinics like the Cleveland Clinic because
competition for business would be eliminated. Quality of care would be a thing
of the past due to everyone being the same. No competition for customers would
throw quality out the window. The higher costs of better organizations like the
Cleveland Clinic help to fund the research they do to keep increasing the
quality of their care. Back to the original question as to why there are still
unhealthy people in Ohio even though we have one of the best clinics on the
world. Gladwell says in his article that “the leading cause of bankruptcy in
the United States is unpaid medical bills.” Those that are still unhealthy simply
cannot afford that “$1,000 grill”. Their insurance they pay for wont cover
those costs for the Cleveland Clinic, but will cover the cost for somewhere
else that is less expensive. Again, people get what they pay for. Some people
are just unwilling to dish out more money for a service that gives better
quality. Its there for the taking, but the willingness to pay more isn’t.
Hello Dan,
ReplyDeleteGood blog. Nice use of the readings to support your arguments. So you agree with those who suggest a universal system will destroy quality? What do you say to those authors who suggest that if everyone receives the same care the demand that it be a high quality care will exist. Remember to look for opposing arguments to your position and not focus just on those that support your positions. And always be looking for an opportunity to use Gaudium as well as the experiences at the various sites in the course. the blog is little short and needed to be developed more fully
Hey Dan, I enjoyed reading this. I agreed with some of the things you mentioned and others…maybe not as much! Do you really think that if someone could pay for the higher quality, and still have money to live on, than they would do it? I don't think it's as much of their choice not to go to the Clinic as it is that it just isn't finically possible for them to. And you're right they could go somewhere else. But what if the disease was say, an extremely rare form of cancer and places like the Clinic were the only ones who could adequately treat it, what do they do then?
ReplyDeleteDan,
ReplyDeleteI really liked you grill comparison! It not only made me laugh, but I think it was really accurate. I understand what you mean by saying the the better quality of care (or grill) costs more money, however what about someone who needs care that can only be provided to them at the Clinic? Would you say that their only option is to go somewhere and receive inadequate care even if it was something that could be solved through treatment at the Clinic?
Hello Dan! I enjoyed reading this weeks blog. You bring up some excellent points. I understand your argument that healthcare needs to not become universal for it could ruin the quality of the delivery of healthcare. However, I do not directly support this argument. I don't think quality would a thing of the past due to universal health care. The services would still be provided but with a capitation formula applied. Less money does not neccesarily mean less quality healthcare. Providing healthcare for all the Cleveland clinic could strengthen more preventive measures.
ReplyDelete